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EXTRACT FROM THE REPORT 



OF THE 



State Engineer and Surveyor 



Of New York. 

1902. 



LAKE ONTARIO HARBORS FOR CANAL COMMERCE. 

By WM. PIERSON JUDSON, 
Deputy State Engineer of New York. 




Book -^^^^ 



EXTRACT FROM THE REPORT 



OF THE 



State Engineer and Surveyor 



Of New York, 

1902. 

'a g- — -^ 

LAKE ONTARIO HARBORS FOR CANAL COMMERCE. 

By WM. PIERSON JUDSON, 

u 
Deputy State Engineer of New York. 



\l^ 



Lake Ontario Harbors for Canal Commerce. 



STATE OF NEW YORK: 

Office of the 
State Engineer and Surveyor, 
Albany, May 8, 1902. 

EowARD A. Bond, State Engineer. 

Wm. Piekson Judsom, Deputy State Engineer. 

Hon. Edward A. Bond, State Engineer and Surveyor: 

Dear Sir. — In consideration of the routes for the thousand- 
ton barge canal from the Hudson River at Albany to the upper 
lakes at Buffalo, the Mohawk-Oneida-Oswego Rivers via Olcott 
line is shown at page 52 of your Barge Canal Report of 1901 to 
cost 154,700,000 or |32,000,000 less than the similar enlargement 
of the present Erie Canal. 

This great financial advantage results partly from the lesser 
number of bridges, but it mainly results from the fact that 
this line includes navigation of Lake Ontario for 110 miles from 
the harbor at Oswego t^'^il^', ImrboV'at Olcott, from which point 
on Lake Ontario there have oeen numerous surveys for ship- 
canal lines to reach Lake Erie at Buffalo. 

In connection with the obvious advantages of this open- 
water navigation, it is desirable to describe the harbors along 
the south shore of Lake Ontario which would serve as places 
of refuge for tows of canal-barges of ten feet draft and 1,000 
tons capacity using this route. 

The south shore of Lake Ontario, in the distance of 110 miles 
between Olcott and Oswego, has seven United States harbors, 
including the two first named, and with all of these harbors 
the writer is familiar, having, as United States Assistant En- 
gineer, made repeated surveys of all of them at various times 
between 18G9 and 1897, while in charge of their works. 

In addition to these harbors which are maintained by the 
general government, there are three lighthouses on points 
which have no harbors. The safety of boats navigating this 



part of Lake Ontario is thus amply provided for, especially in 
view of the further fact that this portion of Lake Ontario off- 
shore is entirely free from shoals and islands; the open Lake 
being 400 to 600 feet deep and there being no shoals or islands 
in it, except a shoal at the mouth of the Niagara River 18 
miles west of Olcott, and shoals and islands at the extreme 
easterl}' end of the Lake 30 to 50 miles beyond Oswego. 

Tn this connection, the following details of the various Lake 
Ontario harbors along this route will be of interest: 

Olcott Harhor. — Eighteen miles east of the Niagara River and 
six miles east of Wilson harbor is Olcott harbor; this is formed 
by two piers each 850 feet long and 200 feet apart, located at 
the mouth of Eighteen-Mile Creek and having a channel of 180 
feet wide, 131/2 feet deep at mean lake level, or II14 feet at 
extreme low water. 

The United States government has expended on this harbor 
from 1867 to date, $163,000. 

Thirty-Mile Point. — Twelve miles east of Olcott is Thirty-Mile 
Point lighthouse. 

Oak Orchard Earhor. — Fifteen mills further east is Oak 
Orchard harbor; this consists of two breakwaters and two 
channel piers, which are 190 feet apart, and extend 1,300 feet 
into the Lake, to 9% feet deep at extreme low stage; the space 
between the piers is two feet deeper than this, so that a limited 
amount of excavation in the Lake outside the piers will increase 
the available depth two feet, as well as removing a small 10- 
foot shoal which lies 800 feet off the entrance. These piers are 
located at the mouth of Oak Orchard Creek, which has a naviga- 
ble width of 120 feet and a low water depth of over 12 feet 
for two miles up-stream from the piers; this channel being 
sheltered by high wooded banks and affording ample room for 
boats taking refuge here. 

The United States government has expended on this harbor 
from 1836 to date, |205,000. A detailed description of the 
condition of this harbor is last given in the report by the writer 
from his surveys made in September, 1896, at page 3318 of the 



Report of the Chief of Engineers, TT. S. A., for 1897, wliich 
shows practically the present condition of the harbor. 

Braddock's Point. — Twenty-one miles east of Oak Orchard 
harbor is Braddork's Point lighthouse; at this point the shore 
of Lake Ontario trends to the southeast towards Charlotte 
harbor and forms a sheltered area where tows often anchor 
in the lee of the point. 

Charlotte Harhor. — Ten miles to the southeast of Braddock's 
Point is Charlotte harbor, which is the port of Rochester. This 
harbor consists of two piers each 3,700 feet long which are 
4S0 feet apart between which there is a natural channel 12 
feet deep and 400 feet wide, which is deepened by dredging 
to 16 feet at extreme low water stage for a width of 150 feet. 
This is maintained from deep water in the lake to deep water 
in the Genesee river in which the depth of 16 feet to 27 feet 
for a width of 300 feet extends 4^ miles up-stream towards 
Rochester. 

The United States government has expended on this harbor 
from 1828 to date, |532,000. Detailed map of this harbor, made 
by -the writer from his various surveys from 1870 to 1894, is 
given at page 2458 of the Report of the Chief of Engineers, 
U. S. A., for 1894, which map practically shows its present good 
condition, described at page 3355 of the Report of the Chief 
of Engineers, U. S. A., for 1901. 

Pidincijville Harhor. — Twenty-two miles east of Charlotte is 
Pultneyville harbor at the mouth of Salmon creek. This har- 
bor consists of a west breakwater and two channel piers, 
which are 200 feet apart and extend 560 feet into the lake, 
and 10-feet depth at extreme low stage. These piers shelter a 
basin at the mouth of the creek which has been used by boats 
of eight-foot draft, being sheltered by a high bank on the west. 

The United States government has expended on this harbor 
from 1870 to date, |79,000. Detailed map of this harbor, made 
by the writer from his various surveys from 1870 to 1894, is 
given at page 2402 of the Report of the Chief of Engineers, 



6 

U. S. A., for 1894, which map practically shows its present 
condition, described at page 3359 of Report of the Chief of 
Engineers, U. S. A., for 1901. 

Great ^odiis Harhor. — Ten miles eastward from Pultneyville 
is Great Sodus harbor which forms the entrance to Great 
Sodus bay. It is one of the finest natural harbors on the 
Great Lakes, having a sheltered deep-w^ter ar(\a 2^,/. miles 
wide and 3 miles long, with a wharf and with good holding- 
ground for anchorage. The entrance to this harbor consists 
of a west breakwater half a mile long and an east breakwater 
one-third of a mile long, and two piers each 1..500 feet long, 
which are 470 feet apart, between which a channel 1,800 feet 
long and 200 feet wide, with 15-foot depth at extreme low 
water, is maintained by annual dredging from deep water in 
the bay to deep water in the lake. 

The United States government has expended on this harbor 
from 1828 to date, |490,000. Detailed map of this harbor, made 
by the writer from his various surveys from 1870 to 1894, is 
given at page 2408 of the Report of the Chief of Engineers, V. S. 
A., for 1894, which map practically shows its present co^idi- 
tion, described at page 3360 of Report of the Chief of Engineers, 
TT. S. A., for 1901. 

Little Slofhis IJarhor. — Fifteen miles east of Great Sodus 
harbor and midway between Great Sodus and Oswego is Little 
Sodus harbor, which forms the entrance to Little Sodus or 
Fair Haven bay. This bay is practically as fine a harbor as 
Great Sodus, although not as large, having a deej)- water area 
of two miles long and three-quarters of a mile wide, with 
wharf and with good holding-ground for anchorage. 

The entrance to this harbor consists of two !)reakwaters; 
the west one 470 feet long and the east one 1,850 feet "long, 
with two piers each about 1.700 feet long which are 250 feet 
apart, between which a channel 2,300 feet long and 15 feet deep 
at extreme low water is maintained by occasional dredging from 
deep water in the lake to deep water in the bay. 



The United States government has expended on this harbor 
from 1852 to date, |338,000. Detailed description of this har- 
bor is given at page 2470 of the Report of the Chief of En- 
gineers, U. S. A., for 1894; its present condition being described 
at page 3363, Report of the Chief of Engineers, U. S. A., for 
1901. 

Oswego Harlor. — Thirteen miles northeast of Little Sodus 
harbor is Oswego harbor, which is the principal port of Lake 
Ontario. This harbor consists of the mouth of the Oswego 
River which has been deepened and improved by the govern- 
ment, and of the outer harbor sheltered by a breakwater over 
a mile in length, furnishing ample shelter for vessels. The 
entrance to the River and to the inner harbor is sheltered by a 
west breakwater 1,500 feet long; a lighthouse pier 400 feet 
long and an east breakwater 750 feet long with an entrance of 
357 feet width between them, through which a channel 15 
feet deep is maintained from deep water in the Lake to the 
sheltered wharves inside. The outer breakwater is 6,000 feet 
long, has a lighthouse at its eastern end, and shelters an area 
of 100 acres, with depth from 9 feet to 18 feet at extreme low 
level, having wharves and mooring-places. 

The United States government has expended on this harbor 
from 1826 to date, $1,973,000. Detailed description of this 
harbor and a detailed map of it made by the writer from his 
various surveys, from 1869 to 1895, are given at page 3216 
of the Report of the Chief of Engineers, U. S. A., for 1895; its 
present condition being described at page 3365 of Report of 
the Chief of Engineers, U. S. A., for 1901. 

Lake Ontario Commerce.-- The traffic on Lake Ontario has 
decreased during recent years to such extent that the govern- 
ment has partially discontinued the maintenance of four of the 
eight harbors which have above been mentioned, namely, Wil- 
son, Olcott, Oak Orchard and Pultneyville, at which places 
maintenance can, of course, be resumed at any time when there 
should be need for it. 



The creation of this canal route by way of Lake Ontario 
would in no way contribute to the Canadian commerce by way 
of the St. Lawrence, but would solely benefit the commerce of 
New York State by way of the Hudson river to New York. 
That it would not benefit Canadian commerce is evident when 
it is considered that the Canadians already have the Weliand 
canal with two feet greater depth and with much larger locks 
than proposed, by which commerce now has full access to 
the St. Lawrence route. 

From a common point in Lake Erie, 17 miles uj) the lake from 
Buffalo and opposite to the entrance to the Weliand canal, the 
distance to be traversed to a common point in Lake Ontario 
opposite to Olcott is practically the same, being 66 statute 
miles by way of the Weliand canal, and 03 statute miles by 
way of the Niagara river and the proposed barge canal and 
Olcott. 

Lake Navigation. — It has already been proven by actual 
experience that 24:0-ton boats, built to navigate the present Erie 
canal, can safely be towed on Lake Erie and can be used in 
trafSc from the ports on Lake Erie to Buffalo. This fact being 
established, it is evident that boats for the x>i'oposed 1,000-ton 
barge canal, being four times as large as the present Erie canal 
boats, can with equal or greater safety navigate Lake Ontario, 
which is more favorable for navigation than Lake Erie; Lake 
Erie being comparatively shallow, 40 to 90 feet in depth, and 
more quickly disturbed by storm, while Lake Ontario is 400 to 
600 feet deep and less easily affected. 

With the numerous harbors which have been described, there is 
no question that 1,000-tou barge canal boats can be towed with 
safety during the canal season (April-November) through Lake 
Ontario to Oswego, from which the greater part of the route 
to the Hudson river will lie through the open waters of the 
Oswego and Oneida rivers, Oneida lake and the Mohawk river. 

Reference has been made to the relative depths of the lakes 
and to their elevations above the sea, which are approximately 



shown upon the accompanying section from the head of Lake 
Superior to tidewater. 

It is worthy of considertion that when it is undertaken to 
enlarge the Erie Canal by way of Oneida Lake and the Oneida 
and Seneca Rivers to Buffalo, such enlargement will take many 
years as well as many millions; meantime by merely enlarging 
the Oswego Canal and Oswego River for 20 miles from Three- 
River Point down to Oswego, commerce can use this route 
and get into Lake Erie by way of the Welland Canal many 
years before they will be able to use the other route through 
the center of the State. 

Very truly yours, 

WM. PIERSON JUDSON, 

Deputy State Engineer of New York. 




( FT ) 

OF ST. 
LAWRENCE 



5ize of sections approximated to relative areas of the several Lakes. 

To accompany letter j.,.^.^. f] 

of ^^-j S'-*- 1902. -TT^Wtf^;^^^^^^^^^ 



